The Mummy Review

The Mummy is the first instalment of Universal Pictures’ Dark Universe film series which will re-introduce monstrous characters like; Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, Wolf Man and Dracula back to the big screen. In this shared movie universe classic cinematic monsters will team up to become a sort of ugly Avengers and kick evil supernatural evil butt. So, is The Mummy the mother of all movies or just a crusty old remake that should be left in its tomb?

The film begins in accent Egypt, where Princess Ahmanet attempts to overthrow her father’s kingdom with the use of some dark and evil magic, but once discovered she’s entombed deep beneath the unforgiving desert. Thousands of years later Tom Cruise as U.S. Army scout turn military scoundrel Nick Morton accidentally discovers the tomb of Ahmanet and unleashes the ancient evil.

Tom Cruise is very good as the morally questionable soldier of fortune Morton and is totally invested in the role. Sofia Boutella is great as Ahmanet and has gone from strength to strength with memorable performances in Star Trek Beyond and Kingsman: The Secret Service. It’s always a delight to see Russell Crowe on screen and his interpretation of Dr. Jekyll is a fun and well thought out performance.

The mummy looks amazing and director Alex Kurtzman does deliver a much more creepy and scary version of the cursed creature feature. The action sequences are breathtaking and Tom Cruise gives it his all in the running stakes. The problem I had with The Mummy was the injection of comedy that felt jarring with most jokes falling flat. The tonal shift was obviously an attempt to be like American Werewolf in London but they dont pull this off. This seems to be a case of too many screenwriters spoiling the broth. Also the film does seem to drag its zombie mummy foot a little too much in the third act with what can only be described as a lacklustre ending.

Oh and before you ask there is no post credit scene teasing the Dark Universe which I think was a mistake. The Mummy is great popcorn fair but lacks the X-Factor to make it the outstanding film that this shared universe deserves.